Azure Princess
by Mizz Neko
Summary: [AU Fic] The four founders struggle in an era of conflict. They think maybe placing Rowena's sister Hermione in an arranged marriage could solve all that. But in the end, it may only create more chaos.


**A/N: Yes, this is very AU. Bear with me. : P**

"**Moggy" is going to be on hiatus for a while… Don't be too disappointed, it will be continued. :D I just wanted to get this idea out of my head, it's been lingering in my mind for so long.**

**Anyway if you come by, remember that reviews make me a very happy writer. :D**  
__

_Chapter One_

On the edge of a sparkling, mirror-like lake in the summer centuries ago, four people stood gazing upward at the large castle before them. Its stone walls were unsoiled and still new, students had not yet walked the numerous chambers and corridors, and the grounds around it had yet to be cleared of most of the trees.

One of the four standing before the fortress was a slim, younger looking woman. Her long, dark hair hung in a braid, and she held her hands clasped in front of her. Her eyes were a bright, blazing blue, like the cloudless sky above them.

"It seems very nice, don't you think, Rowena?" said the corpulent woman next to her, looking admiringly at the castle. "Such a grand fortress…"

"I think its grandeur may not be nearly as important as the fact that it must be away from the Muggles, Helga, but I must admit it is very impressive," Rowena commented.

"Yes, well said…" The redheaded woman nodded her agreement. Rowena turned around. Godric and Salazar were standing just behind them, also inspecting the castle. She could see, a very long distance down the path winding towards the far off gates, an older girl running forward carrying a mass of bags, luggage, and rolls of parchment.

Rowena sighed, prompting Helga to turn and face the girl approaching them also.

"Oh, what a nice young lady, she carried all your things for you," Helga smiled.  
The girl finally stopped beside the four, dropping a few items unceremoniously onto the freshly upturned dirt. She muttered something and stooped to pick them back up hastily.

"Hermione, you didn't need to bring everything, the footman could have carried it all for us," Rowena told her.

"Sorry, I just wanted to help," Hermione replied, out of breath.

"If you insist," Rowena said. "I'll show you where we're staying. Are you coming, friends?"

Godric and Salazar shook their heads. Rowena started toward the castle with Helga at her side. Hermione came along bringing all of the luggage.

Inside the castle, it was very empty, save for the torches and chandeliers lighting the spacious entrance hall. The trio climbed up the grand staircase, going up floor after floor. Hermione tried to remember what floor they stopped at and all the corridors that led them to their rooms, but even she couldn't memorize something so complicated so quickly.

They were in a medium sized room, which was also empty. There were three doors, one leading to a large study and the other two going to Rowena's and Hermione's chambers.

"Set it all down, Hermione, I'll take care of it," Rowena said, pulling out her wand. Hermione put everything on the ground. Rowena flicked her wrist and tables and cushioned chairs began to appear in the room. The contents of the suitcases and bags spilled out and placed themselves neatly on shelves and tables.

Hermione grabbed a book floating past her on thin air and went to sit down in an armchair, which had just appeared by the expansive stained glass window depicting a bronze eagle.

"Your sister is just like you were when we were young," Helga said. "Always reading books…"

"Yes, I suppose she is," Rowena said as she maneuvered items around the room with her wand. "Now, how about we discuss the opening of the school?"  
"Godric and Salazar are still outside…"

"Well, it's not set in stone. We can tell them of our thoughts later." She finished arranging things around the room by putting a fireplace in the corner by Hermione's chair. "I think this should be a school for elite witches and wizards, those who are brightest and most capable."

Helga clicked her tongue, tapping her chin – something she habitually did whenever she disagreed. "In this day in age, when people with our talents are all accused of being Dark by the Muggle society? I think we should turn none away. It is a time to respect and help one another."

Rowena sighed. "Will it be all witches and wizards who avoid the fate of the accused? The most intelligent ones could be the ones to clear all our records among Muggles, with the right education in magic. Besides, this really is not about the Muggles' opinions."

Helga shook her head exasperatedly. She took a large fan from her deep purple robes. "We should speak to Godric and Salazar and see if we may reach a compromise," she said as she began to fan herself, a sign that she was getting a bit impatient.

Rowena shrugged and walked out of the room with Helga following. "Hermione, please don't go wandering. I wouldn't want you to be lost in the castle."

Hermione nodded vaguely, her eyes on the pages of the thick book in her hands. The door shut behind Rowena and Helga with a loud _thud_.  
Hermione usually did like to help out occasionally, and otherwise just sit and read and keep to herself. But she always resented the moments when Rowena reprimanded or instructed her in some way, and now she was feeling very irritated.

"'Don't go wandering, I wouldn't want you to be lost'?" Hermione said indignantly. "I could find my way around. I'm much cleverer than that and Rowena knows it. It would only take me a little while to remember the way."  
She stared at the door, her dark brown eyes almost burning a hole in the wood.

No one answered her, of course – it was dead silent in the room. And without a reply, Hermione made up her mind on her own. She shut the book and put it on the end table next to her.

The young girl walked to the door, placed her hands firmly around the iron ring that served as a doorknob, and opened it. Rowena and Helga had already disappeared down the corridor. She walked briskly ahead, her footsteps echoing across the empty air.

She continued for a while, opening doors and turning corners, going left and right at intersections and going up and down staircases. She didn't know exactly where she was going. She just wanted to go far into the castle and then remember her way back so that she could recall it to Rowena and prove that she would not be lost. Hermione wanted to go quite a long distance. She had been at it for a long time now, but each time she thought of going back she pushed herself to go farther.

She looked out a window at one point and was pleased to see the lake, rather than the grounds, which were seen from the stained glass window in Rowena and Hermione's chambers. She was on the other side of the castle and she still wasn't lost. Finally satisfied, especially since she was starting to miss her books, she turned around and went confidently on her way back.

But still, an even longer amount of time passed as she ventured back to her chambers. She was starting to get sick of all the bare stone walls… Every single one o them looked the same… The thought gave her a thrill of panic, and she walked a bit faster, turning corner after corner…

Now she was in a long, wide corridor with dark stone walls looking almost as if they were made of ebony. There were few torches to light her way. The silence seemed even more disturbing to her here than anywhere else. There were no windows, and the ceiling was lower than usual.

Hermione knew she had not been here yet. Still, there must be a way out, a way to a passage she had gone through already, that led to her room… She went to the end of the hall, where she stopped at one door that had no ring or doorknob. She put her hands on it, supposing it was supposed to be pushed open rather than pulled.

She pushed, but it took a lot of strength to finally swing it open. She was dismayed to see the room was completely veiled in darkness, except for the little bit of light seeping in from the corridor where she was.

Disappointed, Hermione looked down at her shadow in the thick vein of light running through the gloomy black of the room. She tried to think back to where she had come from… If she could just remember the last few turns she took, then she could just backtrack instead of try all these doors…

As she was about to close the door and go back, her hands froze on the edge of the door. Another person's shadow had just appeared behind her own. She was sure of it. Hermione's heart started to beat faster. Her eyes were locked on the second shadow. She didn't dare turn around to see who it was.

"What are you doing here?" The voice was cold and sharp, and it certainly wasn't her own. Hermione almost immediately screamed.


End file.
